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Friday, June 2, 2017

Singapore: The largest sports media property in Asian
history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), once again electrified the Singapore Indoor
Stadium as the organization played host to yet another evening of authentic
martial arts action. ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS showcased the absolute best in
local and international martial arts talent, featuring a packed card of
compelling bouts that left the crowd on the edge of their seats. In the main
event, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee of Singapore retained
her title with a spectacular submission finish over top contender Istela Nunes
of Brazil. In the co-main event of the evening, ONE Welterweight World Champion
Ben Askren made quick work of Malaysia’s Agilan Thani to win via arm triangle
choke.

In an exciting main event showdown between two talented
females, reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela
Lee overcame a spirited performance from challenger Istela Nunes to win by
submission in the second round. After catching Nunes with a twister in the first
stanza, the bout appeared all but over. However, through sheer willpower and
determination, Nunes was able to power through the situation and survive. In
the second round, Lee went right back to work on the ground, finishing Nunes
with an anaconda choke to retain her title.

“I really love you guys and it’s an honor to fighter here
(in Singapore) as your champion. To everyone who is watching from all around
the world, thank you guys so much, it means the world to me,” said Lee in the
post-fight interview. “The anaconda choke is one of our favorites, so I was
really happy to win with that submission tonight.”

In the co-main event, reigning ONE Welterweight World
Champion and one of the best fighters in the world pound-for-pound, Ben “Funky”
Askren of the United States easily took care of previously unbeaten Agilan
“Alligator” Thani of Malaysia, taking his younger foe down to the mat at will
with his world-class wrestling and finishing him with an arm triangle choke. On
the mat, the former US Olympian caught Thani in a mounted crucifix and pounded
on the Malaysian before locking in the fight-ending submission just past the
two-minute mark of the first round.

“Agilan [Thani] has a great story, he’s a young kid, and
this is not the last time we’re going to see him,” said Askren in the
post-fight interview. Askren then proceeded to call out ONE Middleweight World
Champion Vitaly Bigdash for a possible cross-division showdown.

ONE Championship Newcomer Zebaztian Kadestam of Sweden took
on American Top Team product Luis “Sapo” Santos of Brazil in a scintillating
three-round affair. Kadestam, who lives and trains at the scenic beach locale
of Boracay, Philippines, weathered the early storm from Santos, who is known
for his fast and aggressive starts. Midway into the third and final round,
Kadestam found himself in dominant position and drove two hard knees to Santos’
head, knocking the Brazilian out.

In a historical first for mixed martial arts, ONE
Championship held the first ever Grappling Super-Match between former ONE
Lightweight World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki and American submission
wizard Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon. After an entertaining display of
grappling mastery, Tonon emerged victorious, catching Aoki in a heel hook
halfway through the contest, forcing a tap from the former lightweight
titleholder.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor
Amnuaysirichoke returned to action against Adrian Matheis, needing only one
round to author a thrilling knockout finish. The 3-time Lumpinee Stadium
champion and Muay Thai legend stifled his Indonesian foe with lightning quick
kicks and heavy-handed punches. Towards the end of the opening stanza,
Dejdamrong landed a powerful left hand that floored Matheis, earning him the
knockout victory.

In a highly-anticipated rematch between flyweight
contenders, the Philippines’ Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio and Thailand’s Anatpong
“Mak” Bunrad went to battle over three rounds to the delight of the capacity
crowd. Eustaquio, operating behind his world-class wushu base, tagged Bunrad
with pinpoint accurate punches and kicks. Bunrad, a karate champion, had his
moments in the fight but it wasn’t enough to claim victory. In the end, it was
another close split decision, this time in favor of Eustaquio who avenged his
loss to Bunrad two years ago.

Lightweight prospect Amir Khan of Evolve MMA made quick work
of opponent Rajinder Singh Meena, wasting no time in bringing the fight to the
ground with a successful takedown. Once on the ground, Khan easily took full
mount and punished Meena with punches and elbows. Meena succumbed shortly
after, as the referee deemed him unable to continue. The technical knockout
finish earned Khan his fourth straight victory.

Singapore’s Tiffany “Soul Crusher” Teo turned in another
complete performance, dominating the United States’ Rebecca Heintzman-Rozewski
over three rounds to claim victory in front of her hometown crowd. Teo used her
accurate striking to tag Heintzman-Rozewski repeatedly with left and right hand
combinations while threatening with various submissions on the ground. All
three judges judges scored the bout in favor of Teo who wins by unanimous
decision.

Thai-Japanese female atomweight prospect Rika “Tinydoll”
Ishige returned to the ONE Championship cage against Indonesian wrestling
champion Nita Dea, and her performance certainly did not disappoint. Ishige
once again proved her mettle on the ground with another technical grappling
showcase, catching her opponent in two armbar attempts, ultimately winning by
rear naked choke midway into the first round.

Unbeaten Chinese prospect “Rock Man” Chen Lei and Indonesian
national grappling champion Jeremy “Predator” Meciaz kicked off ONE: DYNASTY OF
HEROES in exciting fashion, blasting each other from the opening bell with wild
punches. Both men wasted no time in going to battle at the center of the cage.
With the two fighters spent after just a few minutes of action, it was Chen who
came away with the win via referee stoppage in the first round.

ONE Championship is the largest sports media property in
Asian history. Headquartered in Singapore, the world’s most exciting mixed
martial arts organization hosts the largest sports entertainment events across
Asia featuring the best Asian mixed martial artists and world champions, all
signed to exclusive contracts, on the largest media broadcast in Asia. ONE
Championship is broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 118+ countries
around the world with some of the largest global broadcasters, including FOX
Sports, Setanta, MNC, Astro, Thairath TV, ABS-CBN, TV5, MYTV, HTV, OSN and
more. (PR)